Russia Angered over U.S. Statement on S.Ossetia

Russian Ambassador to the OSCE Aleksey Borodavkin said on March 2 that the U.S. statement on the situating in South Ossetia, in particular regarding Russia’s role in this conflict, “triggers regrets” on behalf of the Russian side and “can not be regarded as constructive.”

Speaking at the OSCE Permanent Council on March 2 Kyle Scott, the U.S. Chargй d’Affaires, expressed “deep concern” regarding the Russia’s statements that it will protect its citizens in South Ossetia. The U.S. diplomat also called on the Russian and South Ossetian sides to reciprocate to the Georgian side’s efforts to secure a lasting peace with confidence building measures of their own. The U.S. called on Russia to withdraw it “personnel and equipment that do not belong in the zone of conflict.”

In a response to the U.S. statement, the Russian Ambassador reiterated while addressing the OSCE Permanent Council that Russia will protect the interests of its citizens in breakaway South Ossetia.

“Protection of the interests of its citizens is the obligation of any government, especially against the background of a danger of a resumption of an armed conflict – as is the current situation in South Ossetia,” Russian Ambassador Borodavkin said during his speech, which was posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on March 3.

“Secondly, it is known that Russia is not a party in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. That is why talks about some kind of confidence measures between Russia and Georgia in the context of this conflict, as was mentioned by the U.S. representative, are absolutely inappropriate. Tbilisi and Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia] should negotiate about confidence measures,” the Russian diplomat said.

He also expressed protest regarding the U.S. diplomat’s statement over the necessity to withdraw Russian “personnel and equipment that do not belong in the zone of conflict.”

“It remains absolutely unclear which Russian personnel or equipment the U.S. deems necessary to withdraw from South Ossetia – the U.S. representative was speaking about in the statement,” Aleksey Borodavkin said.

“It is difficult to understand some actions of the American side in the context of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. In particular, we would like to recommend that the United States show restraint in respect of the American program on training and equipping the Georgian armed forces… We think this recommendation is especially important against the background of the military rhetoric [coming from] the Georgian Defense Minister [Irakli Okruashvili] and other Georgian officials towards South Ossetia,” the Russian diplomat stated.

He also called on the OSCE to convince the South Ossetian and Georgian sides, “especially Tbilisi, to jointly launch development of a statement on security guarantees and non-resumption of hostilities – an idea proposed by the Head of OSCE Mission to Georgia [Ambassador Roy Reeve].”